In the previous letter, our Lord is described as the one who carried the sharp two-edged sword; that is, He has the power and authority to judge, and He will do so decisively. He declared He knew the struggles this church faced; He knew where they lived and how they had been faithful to Him under difficult circumstances. Nevertheless, He found two problems there. There were groups that this church needed to deal with but had not done so. One was a group that advocated adapting to the pagan culture in ways that God had forbidden. The other group wanted to introduce a professional clergy much like the Old Testament priestly system. Our Lord’s warning was, change your ways, deal with it, or I will come and do it myself! Those with the spiritual capacity to understand were exhorted to heed the message. Those that genuinely believed and overcame by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ would be given the hidden manna, sustenance that did not perish or spoil and a white stone with a new name on it. This was proof of acquittal of all wrong and free access to our Lord Himself.
From Pergamum, a road ran out more or less southeast to Thyatira and Sardis. Thyatira was the smallest of these seven cities addressed in this book. It sat a little off the main road running from Pergamum to Sardis. It was a military outpost and a trade guilds center. One of the trade guilds was dying fabrics. It was well known for its red/purple dye. Lydia, a seller of purple, one of the apostle Paul’s converts, was from this town.
To the church at Thyatira, the Lord says,
Revelation 2:18-29
| 2:18 | “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: |
| 2:19 | ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. |
| 2:20 | ‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. |
| 2:21 | ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. |
| 2:22 | ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. |
| 2:23 | ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. |
| 2:24 | ‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. |
| 2:25 | ‘Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. |
| 2:26 | ‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; |
| 2:27 | AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; |
| 2:28 | and I will give him the morning star. |
| 2:29 | ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ |
The Description
The description of our Lord in this letter has two items: First, He is called the Son of God and then He is described as having eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze. This description of our Lord is notable when one realizes that the central god of Thyatira was Apollo, who was often pictured in images of that day as having rays of light emanating from his head and feet like burnished bronze. The emperors claimed divinity and thus the right to rule by claiming to be Apollo’s son. But it is not the false god Apollo, nor any of the Roman emperors claiming to be Apollo’s son who holds the right to be sovereign, but instead, our Lord who is the Son of God, who is about to be crowned King of all kings and Lord of all Lords. Just as the description of our Lord in the letter to the church at Pergamum placed Him above all the Roman and city authorities, so also here. The description also pictures someone with piercing sight, someone who sees all. The description of the feet also suggests someone who will move quickly. Together this pictures a judge who holds the requisite authority and who will see and act. This Judge has already passed judgment on some members of this church and warns the others!
We today are subject to many authorities, from the local level up to the national. Some regard themselves from time to time to be above the law, to be a law unto themselves. We must remember that while we are to be subject to those in authority, we ultimately answer to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The supreme authority in our lives is the true sovereign whom we serve, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
The Declaration
This church also had a lot of good things going for it. It was an active church, one that was commended by our Lord for their deeds, their love and faith, their service and their perseverance. Moreover, it was a growing church. Our Lord states their latest deeds were greater than what they did at the beginning. What church today would not be pleased to have our Lord commend it with these words? In commending their love and faith, it would seem at least that there were those who indeed served and with the right motives! Nevertheless, in their greatness, there was a fatal flaw.
The Problem
They tolerated a false teacher, a woman God calls Jezebel. Whether this was her real name or a descriptive designation given to her by our Lord is unknown. But certainly, there was a literal woman who claimed to be a prophetess and who advocated and taught others to compromise with the culture of that day and commit idolatry and engage in immorality. Remember from the study of the last church Pergamum that the trade guilds that were very prominent in this city wielded much power. Many guilds had a patron god and were connected to pagan worship. Membership in the guild required a person to participate in ritual worship and often in the immoral practices associated with this worship. One of the temples found in this city was also associated with a Jewish prophetess, a sibyl, who spoke for the gods. While it is not known, some suggest that Jezebel is related to that cult. What we do know is this person taught that compromise with the culture of that day involving immorality and pagan idolatry was acceptable. This was very similar to what was taught in Pergamum by those who followed the example of Balaam.
It is instructive to note that the problem our Lord nails them for was that the church tolerated this person. They, for whatever reason or reasons that they had, and there are many possibilities, did not censure her or deal with the error she was teaching. The problem then is not so much the false teacher and the teaching, as it is those who knew better and allowed it to continue.
In our day, this problem is amplified by our access to mass media. While we may not have a false teacher in the local church, there are uncountable teachers flooding the media outlets with their false doctrines. There are masses of published materials promoting error. How do we respond? While it would be impractical, counterproductive, and time-consuming to deal with every false teacher on the scene directly, the local church ought to address the problem of false teaching lest young believers or those weak in the faith are led astray by error.
The Warning and Exhortation
Our Lord issued no warning in this letter to this woman, for she had already been judged. The Lord had given her time to repent, but she had chosen not to. It said she did not want to do this. The Lord declared that Jezebel and her children would be destroyed. The church had neglected to do this, so our Lord would. Those who were following her were warned to repent or else face this same judgment. This judgment, no doubt, took place in that day as it was predicted, although we have no record of it from this historical period.
Our Lord also encourages the rest who do not hold to her teaching to hold fast until the Lord comes. This exhortation even more directly applies to us since our Lord is yet to return, and we live in a day of multiplied Jezebels!
Interestingly in this letter and the remaining letters, our Lord changes the order of the last two elements of the letter. Before this, He made the exhortation for those who have ears to hear to do so; then He gives the promise for those who overcome. In this letter and the following, He switches that order, giving the promise for those who overcome and then concluding the individual letter with the exhortation for those who are able to hear.
The Promise and Exhortation
Why does He do this? To be honest, I am not sure. However, I am inclined to believe that it is a means of emphasis. The most emphatic position of emphasis in a series of things is the beginning. It is what sticks most in the memory. A person tends to remember the beginning. That is why first impressions are so important. They are the ones you remember best. The next most emphatic position is the ending. The end is the latest entry, and so that also sticks. And then we forget all the stuff in between. For the first three churches, the Lord concludes with the promise to those who overcome rather than the exhortation for those who have ears to hear to do so. I suspect that in these churches, the majority of those who belonged were indeed believers and therefore had the ears to hear. In the last four churches, I also suspect that while many belonged to the church, many, if not the majority, did not indeed have a personal relationship with our Lord. They had the doctrines and dogma, but not the Spirit. Therefore our Lord places this exhortation at the last for those who truly can comprehend this message to do so and act upon it! That, at least, is how I understand this change in order. When we get to see Him face to face, we can ask and find out for sure. He may explain why He did this or even tell us it was only for variety's sake.
There is something different in the promise to this church than the promises to the other six churches. First, the construction in the Greek text here is a bit unusual. It is a nominative absolute, and it is emphatic, drawing attention to itself. The speaker is pointing out this person. He is saying, the one who is overcoming and the one who is guarding our Lord’s deeds, it is to this one, to him that the Lord will give His promise.
To the other six, our Lord says, "to him that overcomes…" or something similar, but to this church, our Lord adds another phrase. He says, "He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him...." Remember that the one who overcomes is the one who places his or her faith in the person of Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:4-5:
| 5:4 | For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. |
| 5:5 | Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? |
We overcome by faith. Nevertheless, this promise seems to include the aspect of our self-effort as well. To these, our Lord declares He will grant authority over the nations. The question then is, do we need to exercise faith alone to gain these promises or do we need to exercise faith and keep our Lord’s deeds, as this seems to suggest. Are our own efforts part of the equation?
The answer emphatically is that these promises and our salvation come by faith and faith alone in the finished and all-sufficient work of our Lord Jesus Christ! First of all, one must remember that the one who overcomes (an active verb form indicating the person is acting or doing something) does so by faith. So also, then the one who is guarding or keeping the deeds of our Lord does so by faith. We must remember that faith is not just the acceptance that something is true; it is reliance upon something or someone, in this case, the Savior and His work. Faith, according to the Epistle of James, is always evidenced by action. True faith is alive; it moves and acts. False faith just sits there and does nothing. It is dead! Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, those that are relying upon Him, will demonstrate their faith by keeping or guarding the deeds of their Lord and will overcome.
The one who overcomes and keeps the deeds of our Lord will rule with Him. This promise comes to us through our Lord because, in Him, we become partakers of the Davidic Covenant. They are also given the morning star. While it is debated what this means, it can be noted that our Lord is called the morning star in Peter. This could be a promise that we will inherit all that is promised in Him because He will be our inheritance at His return.
This letter seems to represent the strong papal church from about A.D. 604 until the beginning of the reformation that is usually dated at the nailing of the 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg in A.D. 1517. During this period, many understood the truth of God’s Word and realized the system in which they found themselves was wrong; but did not act to deal with the problem. They tolerated it.
In both of these two churches, the last church we studied, the church in Pergamum, and this church in Thyatira, the issue is dealing with sin and error that existed in the church. The church must judge itself. It cannot allow known problems to go on. Read 1 Corinthians chapter 5, where Paul tells the church to deal with known sin. This is true on a corporate level and an individual level as well. We must deal with those things the Spirit of God reveals to us. Are there things in your life that you know must be changed? If you are reading this, then without a doubt, there are. No matter who you may be, how long you may have been a believer, no matter how close you may walk with our Lord, perfection is not to be found on this side of the grave or this side of the rapture. This is certainly true for me, and I can say with the same certainty, it is true of you as well.
Sin must be dealt with for two reasons. One, if it is allowed to continue, for whatever reason, it only becomes stronger and more entrenched. It is not static. It spreads. It is not harmless; on the contrary, it is deceitful and deadly. A little sin leavens the whole batch of dough. The other reason is simply this. If we do not deal with it, the Lord will. He is patient, to be sure, but He is insistent that we deal with it. He loves us too much to let it continue.
The church at Thyatira had many good things going on, but it allowed sin and error to continue. What are we going to do about our situations, whatever they may be, today?
To recap this letter, our Lord is pictured as the Son of God with eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze. He is the divine ruler, the King of kings and the Lord of lords set above all other human authorities. While the Lord declares that He is aware of all the good things this church is and is doing, namely their deeds, love, faith, service and perseverance, and the fact that these things were better now than in the beginning, there was a significant problem. The church tolerated a false prophetess called Jezebel, who led the people astray. Our Lord would judge her, and those who followed her were warned to repent or face the same judgment. Those that did not follow her were exhorted to hold fast until our Lord returned. To the one who overcame our Lord would grant authority over the nations and the morning star. Then He exhorts those who can hear to do so and heed.
